The present invention relates to a boom and a dipper handle for an industrial machine, such as an electric rope or power shovel.
In the mining field, and in other fields in which large volumes of material must be collected and removed from a work site, it is typical to employ industrial machines including a large dipper for shoveling the materials from the work site. Industrial machines, such as electric rope or power shovels, draglines, etc., are used to execute digging operations to remove material from, for example, a bank of a mine. Electric rope shovels typically include a shovel boom, a handle movably coupled to the boom and supporting the dipper, and a pulley or boom sheave rotatably supported on the boom. The handle supports the dipper while the dipper is removing material from the bank. A hoist rope extends over a portion of the boom sheave and is connected to the dipper to raise and lower the dipper, thereby producing an efficient digging motion to excavate the bank of material.
Due to the current configuration and position of the boom and the handle of electric rope shovels, shovel operators generally have difficulties maneuvering the dipper and the dipper handle in the tuck back region of the shovel. Newer shovels also have an increased payload and a larger dipper that reduces the maneuverability of the dipper and the handle even further. At the same time, operators must maintain the flat floor cleaning distance of the shovel and be able to securely and accurately unload the dipper into a vehicle. Due to the payload increase, truck bed heights have also increased, making it harder for the shovel operator to accurately unload the dipper. Increasing the payload, the bail pull, and the reach of a shovel is detrimental to the shovel as it leads to a higher tipping moment range and a higher machine weight because of the necessary counterweight added to the shovel and increased required strength of the structures. This increases the swing inertia (i.e., cycle time), the front idler loading, and the rocking of the shovel that can lead to a lower structural life.